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Thursday, December 28, 2017

Christmas crunch munch burger


We've all had to get through the Christmas Turkey leftover stage and there's only so much turkey stew, turkey sandwiches and turkey ice-cream you can make before you start hating the smell and taste of the meat.

However this year we had a little twist on the turkey sandwich that was utterly delicious and definitely worth a try.

Among the Christmas leftovers we also had some cranberry cheddar and plenty of cranberry sauce with port.

This latter - the cranberry sauce with port - was exceptionally lovely as it had been bought as a gift for ourselves during the sale at Harrods in January 2017 for £1.20 (down from £6) and so was in itself a budget buy. A top-notch budget buy.

But of course any cranberry sauce will do, and if it is homemade - all the better! Nothing can beat home-made!

As I'd spent five days in a row (or so it seemed) peeling seasonal vegetables, the last thing I had the energy to do was make a loaf of bread just to make some sandwiches.

However, we did have four brioche buns from Waitrose which sported that famous yellow 'discount' sticker.

From Waitrose: excellent brioche burger buns

Honestly, if you've never been to Waitrose, definitely check it out after lunchtime - there are always excellent deals and these brioche rolls were less than half price and still within the use-by date.

I sliced some of the turkey breast and, warming it up in some stock so it was moist and full of flavour, set this aside while I put the top halves of each bun into the oven, covered with sliced cranberry cheese until this melted.
"I have to say this was far nicer than any turkey sandwich I'd eaten"
On the bottom of the roll, which I had lightly toasted, I liberally spread the cranberry sauce, laid two stock-soaked turkey slices on each one, put some thinly sliced tomatoes and cucumber and then pressed the hot cheesy top down on each roll.

Four rolls served three people: my husband had two, my friend and I ate one each (because we were pretending to be healthy).

I have to say this was far nicer than any turkey sandwich I'd eaten, not least because the brioche kept its consistency better - too often with flat bread the juices soak into the bread and makes it soggy.

Of course, I've still got 2 jars of stock and 1 box of the bird left to eat... but that's a story for a different time.

To find out how to make the most of the turkey bones to make stock, see my earlier post. Enjoy!

Sunday, February 26, 2017

Krispie cakes - the no-bake party cake

How to use leftovers to make no-bake party cakes

Krispie Cakes. Credit: SimoneySunday
Cakes. Who doesn't love them? Likewise, marshmallows, Rice Krispies and sprinkles. What's not to like?

Now combine all these winners together and you get: Krispie Cakes!

Breakfast cereal always creeps past its use-by date in our house. We rarely eat breakfast (our morning food is a late porridge or a coffee at work).

Therefore, we have boxes of cereal which need to be used up as I love food but hate waste. And Krispie cakes are a wonderful way of using up spare or leftover Kellogg's Rice Krispies (or their no-name or store equivalent).

You will need:
1 bag of marshmallows
Rice Krispies
A saucepan
A few sprinkles for dressing (optional).

I used this massive bag of marshmallows from Lidl, which gave a nice colourful sheen to the cakes - yellowy pink. It cost just 69p.

To make:
Place marshmallows in a saucepan on a low heat and stir gently for a few minutes until all the marshmallows have melted.

Turn off heat immediately.

Slowly pour in the Rice Krispies and stir until all the Krispies are covered with the melted marshmallows.

Spoon out scoops of the mixture into paper cupcake holders and leave to cool. Sprinkle with Hundreds and Thousands or any cake sprinkles. I used some multi-coloured sugar balls from Tesco which looked pretty and added extra crunch.

Serve and enjoy!



Sunday, February 19, 2017

Nutella cheesecake - the no-bake treat!


Nutella Cheesecake - pic from my guest Maribel (who declared the cake 'delicioso')

This post could have been called: 'How to make a Nutella Cheesecake in 20 minutes (and eat it in three)'.

I love this Nutella dish. It is easy, quick to make, always looks amazing and takes little to no time to make. It is also not as rich as you might think, which means it is perfect for a naughty treat.

We tend to use low-fat Philadelphia cream cheese and low-fat Flora Light spread, as my way of making it a little healthier - although if you're going to use an entire tub of Nutella as I do, perhaps that negates the healthy effort!

You will need:
For the base:
200g butter or Flora Light
100g brown or muscovado sugar
1 pack of digestive biscuits

For the topping:
1 400g jar of Nutella
1 300g tub of Philadelphia cream cheese
1 small bag of blanched whole hazelnuts to decorate (optional)

How to make:
Melt the sugar and butter together in a saucepan on a low heat. Stir until smooth, then turn off the heat.

Crush the biscuits and grind them until all the large chunks have gone. I have a kitchen gadget now that does this for me - basically a little hand-held, hand-powered grater thingy, but before that I just used to wrap the pack of biscuits in a clean tea-towel and beat the living daylights out of them with a rolling pin. Good therapy.

Anyway, I digress. Add the ground biscuits to the sugar/butter mix, and stir. The mix should be firm - like cookie dough - so that you can press it into a greased flan dish (or in my case, the lid of a large casserole dish).

Leave to cool slightly. In a clean bowl, empty the entire jar of Nutella and blend it with the cream cheese until there is no white cheese visible and the mixture is smooth. Spread it evenly over the top of the biscuit base and leave to set.

For decoration, sprinkle with cocoa and place the blanched whole hazelnuts on top. 

Serve and enjoy! 

*In the meantime, since making this for my friends Dave, Maribel and William, Dave has tried this recipe at home and he has added a layer of peanut butter between the biscuit base and the Nutella topping. My own husband thinks this is a step too far, and quite a few more calories too far, but according to Dave and Maribel, it tastes of Reece's peanut butter cups. Which sounds delicious.


Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Pumpkin Pie - easy recipe

Pumpkins are fun, let's face it.

Not only do people love playing with pumpkins come October, carving them into ever-intricate caricatures, but they also love the versatility of pumpkins, which can be used for sweet and savoury dishes.

Having posted a photograph of my no-baked pumpkin pie on Facebook last year, I was asked repeatedly to post the recipe - which I promised.

Now, three months later, here it is: No-Bake Pumpkin Pie.

No-bake pumpkin pie. Source @simoneysunday
You can either use condensed milk or, which I prefer, 300g (approximately 11oz) low-fat cream cheese, such as Philadelphia.

You will need: 
One can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk or 300g low-fat cream cheese
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg and some for sprinkling on top.
1 sachet Dr Oetker vegetarian gelatine (one sachet sets 1 pint of liquid)
1/4 cup water (approx 60ml)
16oz of soft pumpkin (453g)
Whipped cream for the topping (if you like)
Some pumpkin seeds for decoration
1 sheet of pre-cooked puff pastry*

How to: 
After chopping up the pumpkin (save a good hour or two for this - cutting and chopping a pumpkin, I have found, is a job for lumberjacks), reduce it in a pan with a LITTLE bit of water until soft. Not too much water - you will have too much liquid and you'll need to strain it.

Clean and save the pumpkin seeds.

When you've got 16oz of softened pumpkin, blend it gently until it is smooth.

Add gelatine to water in a medium-sized saucepan. I tend to use half a pint of water as the pumpkin is quite liquid (as is the condensed milk).  Leave it to stand for 1 minute, before cooking on a low heat for two to three minutes until all the gelatine is dissolved.

Meanwhile, whisk together the condensed milk (or cream cheese), cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg until smooth. Add this to the gelatine/water mix in the pan, and stir constantly.

Cook for a further 5 mins or so until the mixture is slightly thickened. After removing from heat, stir in the pumpkin until blended.

Pour it into the pre-cooked pastry dish and leave to set in the fridge until firm.

When cooked and cooled, spoon the pumpkin mixture into the crust. Put in the fridge for 3-4 hours or until firm. Decorate with a sprinkle of nutmeg and pumpkin seeds.

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

*Cooking the pastry
I use ready-roll pastry as it's so much easier, but it will need to be cooked before using.

Put the pastry into a suitable pie case, press down the edges with a thumb or spoon to make a pattern, cover the bottom of the pastry with baking beans (to make sure the pastry base doesn't rise in the middle), and bake according to instructions.